Dayton Dutch Lions FC return home to DOC Stadium on Sunday evening with an opportunity to change the momentum of their USL League Two season. A win against visiting Toledo Villa FC could move the Dutch Lions FC up from the bottom of the USL2 Great Lakes Division standings.
In its last outing, Dayton [0-5-0] travelled to Flint City Bucks and pushed the defending USL2 champions to the limit before falling 1-0. The game winner wasn’t conceded until the 90th minute. The Dutch Lions FC changed style a bit against Flint City, opting for a defensive style for nearly the entire contest for the first time this season. Expect Dayton to open it up a bit when Toledo Villa FC comes calling.
“Playing on the road against the national champion after a 5-hour bus ride made us approach that game a bit more conservatively. This won’t be the case for Sunday,” said Dutch Lions Head Coach Sid van Druenen. “We want to try and become more dominant in possession and create more opportunities. Hopefully we can do that on Sunday and get our first win of the season.”
This will be Dayton’s second crack at Toledo Villa FC [2-1-2]. The Dutch Lions FC were on the wrong end of a 5-2 scoreline when the teams met in Toledo in mid-May.
“I do believe we played well in Toledo at times, and I give us a good chance this Sunday if we can minimize mistakes in our build,” said Van Druenen.
Eliminating mistakes in the build-up should translate to a large number of scoring opportunities against Toledo Villa FC, who concede goals at the second highest rate in the Great Lakes Division.
No one in the division, though, scores as many goals per game as Toledo. Dayton’s defenders will have to put forth a solid performance to keep the visitors contained.
“Toledo has a lot of pace and individual quality up front. We will have to do a good job controlling those threats,” said Van Druenen.
The match, scheduled for kickoff at 7 PM, is the second part of a double-header at DOC Stadium on Sunday. The Dutch Lions FC WPSL team hosts Columbus Eagles FC at 4:30 PM.